This invention relates generally to snow skis and, more particularly, to skis for downhill or alpine skiing. Specifically, the invention is directed to a snow monoski for enabling a skier to ski on snow with only one ski and in particular to a mounting structure or bracket for mounting a skier's boots to the unitary ski.
Known difficulties encountered when using conventional skis include: maintaining an ideal body position, which varies according to speed and running conditions; displacing body weight from one ski to the other and exercising command of the ski edges associated with such body displacement; guiding the skis, particularly maintaining them in parallel relation; and adapting the position of the skis and the position of the body to the terrain and the course to be followed. These difficulties are exacerbated if the skier is physically handicapped and therefore is not able to exert equal control over both skis.
In any event, these difficulties usually are encountered by the novice skier. Initially a great amount of strength and concentration is needed, which causes fatigue and diminishes the distance and duration of the traverse and the pleasure of skiing. When skiing over undulated ground, for example, particularly when crossing undulations other than perpendicularly, considerable effort is required to maintain the skis parallel to each other. The novice skier frequently experiences considerable difficulties in learning to keep the skis in parallel position. When the skis are not maintained in exact parallelism, one or the other ski does not move exactly in a longitudinal direction but skids laterally, which causes fatigue and slows the speed.
In view of the difficulties experienced by physically handicapped skiers and novice skiers in controlling conventional skis, various configurations for a monoski have been developed. However, known monoskis have certain disadvantages.
One known monoski comprises a supporting plate to which ski bindings, including toe and heel portions, are screwed as shown in Freegard, U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,714. Freegard, U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,714 discloses a single raised ski boot mounting platform mounted to a ski. This monoski is substantially rigid in its middle section which carries the supporting plate for the ski bindings, and this rigid section is followed in front and at the rear thereof by a section having the elasticity and flexibility for proper running performance. The rigid section of the monoski disclosed in Freegard, U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,714, does not allow for absorption of upward and downward deflection of the ski. This inherent problem of this monoski is due to the mounting of the rigid supporting plate for the ski bindings, which can be compared with a structural builtup beam. The discontinuous transitions of the elastic properties of the monoski disclosed in Freegard, U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,714, result in undesirable running performance and also in a loosening or tearing off of the screws by means of which the supporting plate is affixed to the ski, thereby rendering the monoski unfit after a short life of use.
Schmid, U.S. Pat. No. 3,685,846, and Fish, U.S. Pat. No. 3,854,738, disclose monoskis including separate mounting platforms mounted to a ski so that a downhill skier can ski on snow with only one ski. These monoskis include two ski boot mounting platforms to which ski bindings are attached for respectively securing the toe and heel of each of the skier's boots. The monoski disclosed in Schmid, U.S. Pat. No. 3,685,846, can include resilient material in the form of rubber or, alternatively, springs on which the front and rear mounting platforms are mounted. Although the monoskis disclosed in Schmid, U.S. Pat. No. 3,685,846, and Fish, U.S. Pat. No. 3,854,738, can provide for independent absorption of upward and downward deflection of the ski, particularly the monoski disclosed in Schmid since the front and rear mounting platforms are mounted on resilient material or springs, the front and rear mounting platforms are a weak configuration and therefore do not provide adequate securement of the skier's boots because the mounting platforms are not interconnected, except by the ski. Consequently, the skier's boots can release from the front and rear mounting platforms of these monoskis during normal skiing, especially during skiing over rough packed snow, thereby causing a fall which can endanger the safety of the skier.